Rock, of course, became the marching music of the sexual revolution. Thus porn and rock have always been at the forefront of erotic freedom. Today, the connection continues, exemplified by those who split their time between both fields. Here we look at some of those people — both adult performers and those behind the scenes.
Jerry Anders
Jerry Anders is AEBN's sales and marketing director. He started in adult with his own fetish studio, Twisted Transmissions.
Performing as Anders Manga by night, Anders is a rising star in the goth music scene and has just released his third album, "Welcome to the Horror Show." Within his first year on the scene, he was asked to play every major U.S. goth festival. Anders plays various instruments, including piano, drums, synthesizer and guitar. He also sings and writes all his material. Anders' influences include David Bowie, Gary Numan and Bauhaus.
As a musician since high school, Anders can't recall any point in his life when he wasn't doing something with music.
"It's very therapeutic for me," he says. "Some guys go golfing. I write songs and do shows at goth clubs. For the last year, I've been a weekend warrior, doing shows on both coasts. I did the Convergence XII, Eccentrik Festival, Freaks United and others." He also just performed at Bar Sinister in Los Angeles. "Some industry friends came out, like Joe from EarlMillerCash.com, who helped us the entire night with anything we needed."
Anders' growing reputation as a live performer also is fueling his fan base. "I've been the most downloaded goth artist on Download.com for the past two years," says Anders, who credits his music experience with teaching him the dos and don'ts of online marketing. "I've had lots of success on MySpace and other viral sites marketing my music and videos, so I take that knowledge and translate the ideas to adult." As examples, he points to the launches of AEBN's xPeeps.com and PornoTube.com.
Ray Burke
K-Beech salesman Ray Burke has played bass for 27 years. When he's not rocking, Burke makes sure that retailers are stocked with videos from K-Beech brands like Cherry Boxxx and Baby Doll.
Burke recently played on Iron Maiden vocalist Bruce Dickinson's solo album, "Tyranny of Souls." He's also working on his own project, "Humanity Street." The name was inspired by a photo of a flooded house on Humanity Street in New Orleans.
"It's an awesome image with a very deep meaning," Burke says. His MySpace page describes the project's sound as "a Black Sabbath moustache, a Bob Marley dreadlock and a dirty old sock of George Clinton's injected into a Subterranean Homesick Alien [with] a bass."
Burke also plays with rock and blues group Yo Diddley and Life After Death, the successor to metal band Armored Saint. Though mainly a rocker, Burke likes many different styles including reggae, calypso and funk. Among his favorite bassists are classic rock icons Geezer Butler from Black Sabbath and Cream's Jack Bruce.
Like Anders, Burke seems comfortable shifting between adult and rock.
"I have a home studio that enables me to stay creative even during the daily grind," he says. "My boss has always been super cool about me taking time off for gigs or studio time, and the people at K-Beech have become an extended family to me. Plus, a lot of the contacts I deal with in the adult biz are music fans, also."
Ross Horwitz
Sexsearch Marketing Director Ross Horwitz has toured all over the country in various bands. Horwitz plays guitar, bass, drums and keyboards. His musical preferences? "Mostly indie rock, shoegaze and electro," he says, naming the Cure and My Bloody Valentine among his influences.
Horwitz currently plays in three bands in L.A., including Shoot Out the Lights. They're working with former Jane's Addiction producer Brian Virtue on an album slated for a December release. It's a long way from his first musical venture.
"I started singing in a straight-edge band back in the late 1980s," he recalls. "We were absolutely horrible. I know that to make it big with my band, I would have to tour the world. I don't think that if I was given that opportunity I would be able to turn it down.
If that opportunity does arise, Horwitz jokes that he hopes "to pitch the whole tour to my boss as a grassroots global marketing campaign bringing SexSearch on the road."
In part two, we'll take a look at Derek Smout, Monica Mayhem and Kurt Lockwood.
